Students "Dare to Dream" and Win Scholarships, PCs and Software

November 27, 2006

Contact: Jennifer Braswell
Ph: 1-877-275-8754, ext. 2508

Eight students associated with The Children’s Aid Society are awarded prizes in a national scholarship competition sponsored by BrainstormUSA

ATLANTA, GA, November 27, 2006 – Justice Ramos, a 6th grade student associated with The Children’s Aid Society, has won a $5,000 college scholarship in a program sponsored by BrainstormUSA, an Atlanta-based marketer of educational software, videos and computers. Justice is a 6th grade student at Central Park East #2 and aspires to be cartoonist. He plans on majoring in Graphic Arts and Animation at a New York University. His winning project was a series of detailed drawings of cartoon characters that displayed his talent and enthusiasm to fulfill his dream.

The awards are presented as part of BrainstormUSA’s 1st & 2nd Quarter 2006 “Dare to Dream…Expect to Succeed” scholarship program. These projects were chosen from among hundreds of entries.

In addition to Justice winning a $5,000 college scholarship, seven other students won prizes in the same competition. The following students each won a personal computer with educational software: Joanna Chiappone, a 6th grader, for her video showing her desire to become a chef; Terrance Berry, an 11th grader at Washington Irving, for his drawing conveying his dream to become an art therapist; and Daniel Molina, an 8th grade student at Jackie Robinson J.H.S., for his train diagram and essay showing his desire to be a train engineer. The following students won a bundle of educational software: Michelle Mendia, an 8th grade student at The Mott Hall School, for her essay with a PowerPoint presentation about her dream of becoming a pediatrician; Erika Godoy, an 8th grade student at the Corpus Christi School, for her essay and PowerPoint presentation conveying her dream of becoming a doctor; Marc Jenkins, a 6th grade student at St. Frances De Sales, for his essay and PowerPoint presentation conveying his dream of becoming a basketball player; and Omar Renta, a 7th grade student at the School for Talented and Gifted, for his poems showing his desire to be a poet.

“The Dare to Dream…Expect to Succeed program is designed to show children the value of setting goals, sharing their hopes and having the self-confidence to communicate their vision,” said Joe Galluccio, President and CEO of BrainstormUSA.

The competition is open to students across the nation, from kindergarten to high school. Entries are judged based on the child's age and the merits of the project. The student is asked to describe a personal goal, and how he or she hopes to achieve it. Any form of creative media may be used, like prose, poetry, photography, collage or drawing, depending on the interest of the child. In addition, along with the student entry, parents are asked to describe how they will support their child's efforts to realize his/her dreams. The intent is to increase communication within the family, as well as the parents’ commitment to helping their children achieve their goals.

BrainstormUSA developed the “Dare to Dream…Expect to Succeed” program as a way to encourage students to describe and pursue their dreams. “An integral part of the BrainstormUSA philosophy is to ‘give back’ to the children, schools and communities who cross our path on a daily basis,” says Mr. Galluccio. “We are fortunate and extremely pleased to be able to implement this type of program. We are especially pleased there were so many winners who are associated with The Children’s Aid Society, an organization that provides so many worthwhile services to deserving children in New York City.”

Every quarter BrainstormUSA awards scholarships, computers and educational software to winning students. But children are not the only winners. In addition to Justice Ramos winning a $5,000 scholarship, The Children’s Aid Society will receive two personal computers with a variety of educational software titles.

Since its inception in 1999, the Dare to Dream program has awarded over $2 million in scholarships, computers and educational software to students, teachers and schools across the U.S. This has been made possible partly through contributions from leading educational software, hardware and finance companies, including Orchard/Siboney Learning Group, CSI and Hy Cite. Through unique relationships with these and other education-related companies, BrainstormUSA makes available affordable computers and fun, interactive, curriculum-based K-12 learning software and other materials that complement school courseware and help parents participate more fully in their children’s education.

For more information about BrainstormUSA and/or how your child can enter the Dare to Dream...Expect to Succeed competition, please visit the company's website at www.brainstormusa.com, or call at 1-877-275-8754, extension 2508.

Note to Editors: A ceremony to recognize all these winners will take place at The Children’s Aid Society, East Harlem Center, 130 East 101 Street, NY, NY 10029 on Tuesday, November 28th at 4:30 pm. To attend the ceremony or for more information, please call Jennifer Braswell at 1-877-275-8754, extension 2508.